


Small Victories

by Contesa_lui_Alucard



Category: Marriage Story (2019)
Genre: Charlie is an asshole, Depression, Emotional Baggage, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Henry needs help, Post-Divorce, Slow Burn, Tesa has her hands full
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:06:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26999395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Contesa_lui_Alucard/pseuds/Contesa_lui_Alucard
Summary: Tesa Cardson, a Junior High School teacher, gets a new student two months into the school year. The new student, a 12 year old boy named Henry, has been bounced back and forth across the country for the last few years all thanks to his parent's divorce, and the effects it's had on him are obvious. His handsome father, Charlie Barber, wears a permanent scowl, especially around Henry's new teacher, much to Tesa's dismay. Will Tesa help Henry cope with his situation? Will Charlie lighten up? Or is this going to be the longest school year of Tesa's career?
Relationships: Charlie Barber/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 8





	1. A New Student

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I had an interesting idea and decided to put it down on paper. I'm not quite sure of the full scope of things yet, but basically we are Henry's new teacher, and Charlie is not at all fond of us. This is going to be an enemies to lovers type deal, so saying this is a slow burn goes without question. Rated E because somebody's eventually going to have sex. Trigger warnings if divorce and the effects it has on children upsets you.

November 6, 2023

“Hey,” Sindy, my Assistant Principal greets me, popping her bright blonde head into the open doorway of my now empty classroom, “I hate to give you such short notice Tesa, but you’re getting a new student tomorrow.” 

“I am?” I turn to look at her with curiosity, the unmarked homework on my desk suddenly forgotten.

“Yup! He’s originally from here, but has spent the last few years jumping between homes. Mom and Dad are divorced, Mom’s in Cali, Dad’s here,” she explains. I come around to lean against the edge of my desk, crossing my arms over my chest. Sindy has my full attention. A new student in November, and a child of divorce no less, being juggled across the country. My heart already goes out to him. Between his family life and the disadvantage of starting two months into the school year, this isn’t going to be easy for either of us, “Do you know anything about where he’s at academically?” 

“He’s very bright, but not very talkative. Dad says that’s a more recent development though,” Sindy replies with a loaded look that I understand. Not talkative? Yeah no kidding, I wouldn’t be very talkative either if I were him. Dealing with a rough family situation, moving across the country, and just beginning to experience puberty? I can work with that though, he’ll need time to adjust, he’s dealing with a lot, and I’d rather him quiet than destructive, if I’m being honest.

“Alright, I’ll get together what he’ll need, and come up with a plan to get him caught up,” I’m already moving before the words are out of my mouth, making my way over to the closet to pull out workbooks and textbooks, mulling over what kind of packets I could make for him. Maybe I’ll ask his father if I could meet with this boy after school for a few weeks, just to get him caught up. If he’s as bright as Dad says it shouldn’t take long.

Sindy walks over to my desk and drops a packet on top, presumably the forms I’ll need, “He has a sweet face,” Sindy says, “I think you’re going to like him. And, for what it’s worth, Dad’s pretty handsome,” Sindy says with a wink, and we both erupt in giggles. A handsome single father? I’m a professional, through and through, but I’m still a human being. And a single one at that, so sue me if ogling a handsome dad brings me a little joy. It’s not like I’ll actually do anything about it, I value my job and my professional reputation too much for that.

“What’s the boy’s name?” I ask, turning my back to Sindy once more so I can pull out a nametag for his desk.

“Henry. Henry Barber.”


	2. First Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is Henry's first day of school and Tesa is eager to meet him and his father, that is, until she does.

“A new student? At this time of year?” Rachael, the Pre-K teacher and my best friend, looks at me inquisitively over her iced coffee as I tell her the news. 

“Yup, his name’s Henry, apparently he just moved back here with his father for the foreseeable future, so he was enrolled yesterday,” I nod, taking a long sip of my iced latte before I continue, “I asked Sindy to give me the heads up when they arrive so I can introduce myself. Apparently the dad is pretty hot too,” I say with a wink, which has Rachael sitting up straighter in her chair.

“Is that so?” Rachael asks with a devilish grin, “Does he have any children that need to be enrolled in Pre-K? I’d be more than happy to make an introduction too.” We giggle at our silly behavior like a bunch of school girls, this kind of ‘excitement’ doesn’t happen often, can you blame us?

“I’ll let you know what I think of Sindy’s judgement when I see you at lunch. I’m hoping to get some more information out of her too, like what his parents do for a living and whatnot, might help with understanding him more,” I shrug, taking another sip.

The conversation ends when Sindy pokes her head into my doorway, a grin plastered across her face, “They’re heee-reee,” she sing-songs to me, and I quickly rise in response. I run my hands down my dress, a very reserved and professional navy blue, knee length, a-line skirt with a boat neck and short sleeves, making sure everything is as it should be, before I follow Sindy out the door.

“Good luck!” Rachael calls after me, and I give her a smile over my shoulder as I step into the hallway, falling into step with Sindy as we make our way to the office.

“You’re gonna like him,” she whispers to me, “he’s exactly your type: tall, dark, long hair, and a bit of a dangerous look to him.”

I want to answer, tell her that he sounds very handsome but that she knows nothing can actually come of this, right? But we’ve already finished the short pilgrimage to the office and I am out of time.

“Mr Barber?” Sindy calls, prompting a man and his son to unfold themselves from the colorful plastic chairs stationed just inside the office, “This is Ms. Cardson, she’ll be Henry’s homeroom teacher.”

The man steps up to meet me, and I am immediately left awestruck at the sight of him. He’s tall, at least a head taller than me and I’m rather tall for a woman, and broad, boxy almost, very solid-looking. Sindy was right to say he had a dangerous look to him, the set of his eyes was definitely a bit sinister, although an incredibly pretty shade of what appeared to be hazel, offset by an aquiline nose and incredibly full, dark pink lips. Thick black hair, hanging just past his chin, frames his long face nicely. He offers a tight-lipped smile that doesn’t quite reach his glaring eyes, and extends his hand, “Charlie Barber,” he intones in a strikingly deep baritone, “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Cardson.”

I slip my dainty hand into his tremendous grip, offering my approximation of a firm shake, “The pleasure’s mine, Mr. Barber. I’m looking forward to having Henry in my class.”

He gives me a curt nod in response before releasing me from his grasp, the forced smile quickly slipping from his face, so I turn my attention to the boy in question instead, “Hi Henry,” I smile, “Welcome to Meredith Monk Day School.”

Henry, tall and thin with mousy hair cut just like his father’s, looks at me with brown eyes full of caution. I offer him my hand as well, but he spends a moment looking at it before reaching out to take it, offering me a quick shake before pulling away and shoving his hands into his pockets. My smile is unfaltering, he may be quiet but at least he’s polite, I can work with that.

I break eye contact with Henry to glance back at Mr. Barber, whose burning gaze startles me. He’s watching me intently, and while I’m taken aback by the intensity, I get it. I’m a new person, a stranger being entrusted with this man’s child, I don’t take it personally. 

“Alright Henry, let me show you to where you’ll go in the mornings while you wait for class to start,” Sindy says cheerfully, placing a kind hand on Henry’s shoulder as she leads him towards the door, “See you later, Dad!” she jokes, as Henry offers one last glance to his father before allowing Sindy to lead him away.

The office secretary, Mrs. Thomas, pipes up from behind her desk, “Mr. Barber, I have a few more papers for you to sign before you head out.” And so I take my queue to leave, offering one last goodwill gesture before excusing myself, “Have a great day, Mr. Barber!”

But my cheery farewell bid is met with a steely glare that almost pulls the smile off my face. Almost.

“You as well, Ms. Cardson,” he mumbles, tracking me with his eyes as I quickly take my leave.

I dart back into my classroom, finding Rachael waiting expectantly for me, only to watch her expression morph into concern as she takes in my appearance, “What happened?”

“I have no idea!” I throw my hands up as I make my way over to her, plopping down into the adjacent chair, “Sindy was right about him being handsome, but the guy glared at me the whole time like I’d killed his dog!”

“Really?” Rachael asks incredulously, “Why?”

“I wish I knew,” I shake my hand, taking a long sip from my iced latte. It was unmistakable, the way he’d looked at me. I know I’m a stranger, but even strangers deserve a little kindness. It’s not like I’m some mass murderer, I’m a school teacher for goodness sake! I have close to ten years experience, most of which were spent in this very classroom. My students have gone on to become wonderful writers, future teachers, artists, actors, and all thanks to my guidance, he has to know this or else his son wouldn’t even be here right now. So then, why?

I shake my head once more, hoping to dislodge the terrible taste the encounter has left in my mouth. It’s only the first day, maybe he’ll soften up once he gets to know me. Better yet, when Henry starts going home and telling him how much he loves being in my class, that should do the trick. I take another big sip from my latte and gather my resolve, I won’t let this shake me up. I’ve dealt with every kind of parent imaginable, and eventually they all come around to me. Mr. Barber will just be another one to win over with time and patience, he’ll come around once I start helping Henry, I’m sure of it.

The bell signifying the start of homeroom rings, and Rachael offers me one last sympathetic look before we make our way out of the room to pick up our classes. My students wait for me with the usual array of grim expressions that adolescents wear early in the morning, but I smile brightly despite it, greeting them as a class before leading them away. As I enter the classroom I take my place behind my desk, greeting each of them personally as they pass through the door. Each of them grumbles a response, some with a little more enthusiasm than others, but none with disrespect. They are just grumpy teenagers who likely stayed up too late on Tik Tok, and so I smile all the brighter to set the tone of the day. Henry is the last to enter, but as expected I get a quick glance in acknowledgement, nothing more. That’s fine, I’ll work on him.

Henry finds his desk easily enough, the class isn’t as large as a public school one, Henry being one of eighteen students, so it isn’t hard to spot the only empty desk sitting in the back row, right in front of my own. It had taken me some time to decide where to put him, but ultimately I felt he might need some time to warm up to his new surroundings, and that placing him in the front row might cause unnecessary stress. My desk sits facing the sides of all of the student’s desks, and in the back corner of the room, so that I am able to see what everyone is doing when I am at my desk getting work done. I take my seat as I fill in the attendance sheet, the students unpacking and getting settled so that they can begin working on the writing prompt I have projected onto the screen. Today’s prompt is, “What is your favorite thing to do in the Fall?” It’s one of my simpler prompts, but I chose it on purpose, I want to give Henry something easy to think about. 

Within ten minutes the class has settled into silence as they scrawl in their notebooks, all except Henry, who sits staring at the empty surface of his desk. I quietly get up from my seat and make my way next to his chair, leaning in to softly explain, “Every morning I put a writing prompt on the board to get our day started, you can answer it in your “Journal” notebook. It doesn’t need to be anything crazy, a paragraph or two will do. This is just an exercise to get your brain going, the entries aren’t graded, and before first period begins anyone can volunteer to share what they’ve written.” Henry doesn’t look at me as I speak to him, but I know he’s listening, because when I finish he moves to slide his “Journal” notebook out of his desk, cracking it open to the first page. I smile and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder as I stand back up to my full height, leaving him to it. 

Ten minutes later I signal to the class that it’s time to begin sharing, and a few hands raise in tribute. Answers of ‘apple picking with my family’, ‘making apple pie with my grandma’, ‘carving pumpkins’, are described, and I smile and nod, make an anecdote in acknowledgement, and thank each student for sharing. Henry doesn’t volunteer, but I didn’t expect him to, nor do I push him to. Though I do take a peek at what he has written in his notebook, and it doesn’t look like much, perhaps a sentence. 

No matter, I won’t push him on his first day, this is a lot to take in, he’ll get into the swing of things. Although I do make a mental note to check his notebook just to see what he did manage to get written. The first bell rings, the kids gather their things, and I lead them out of their room to their first class.

Three hours later, after I’ve brought the kids to lunch, I decide to take a look at Henry’s journal entry. I crouch behind his desk, pulling out the notebook, and flip it open. He’s written the proper heading, which I am happy to see, but my smile quickly drops as I read what it is he has written.

_“I just want everyone to be happy again.”_


End file.
